Have you ever tried to get someone to do something they didn’t want to do? Raising children is a prime example of exercising persuasion. I bore three children, two boys and a girl. My eldest, Trevor has always been hard to persuade, convince, and induce. Early in his life, I had to learn certain “tricks” to get him to do what I wanted and needed him to do. As he became a toddler, I worried about how I would get him to give up his pacifier. Everything I did seemed to make him want to hold on to it longer. I tried to convince him that he was a “big boy” and didn’t need his “NUK” anymore. It finally happened during another fun activity, that of toilet training. One day he dropped it in the toilet and boom, he believed the “NUK” was no longer. Like children, your co-workers, colleagues, and customers may be hard to persuade.
Oftentimes when I present I will ask the question – “how many of you are in sales?” a few hands will go up, given the make-up of the group. Are we not all in “sales” of one form or another? Do we not have to persuade, influence and induce many times throughout the day?
As with sales, persuasion can have negative connotations. Your intent is what will define whether you are persuading in a positive way. The individual that you are striving to persuade will decide if it is positive or negative. The following are some strategies to persuade in a positive way:
1. Trust is the foundation principle in getting others to act. If the individual we are trying to persuade doesn’t trust you then your efforts will stymied. Building trust starts with respecting the other person. We build trust by listening for what is not being said. When we trust another person we have a tendency to be loyal. Think about the people you trust the most. Would they try to persuade you to do something you didn’t feel right about? My guess is no, otherwise you wouldn’t be trusting them. Something inside you would hold back trust.
2. Birds of a feather flock together. When we connect or feel like we have some commonality with the other person we are more likely to persuade. The best salespeople are likeable and can get along with every and any personality type.
3. Walking in their moccasins. When we put ourselves in their shoes we will come across as more empathetic and genuine. Showing empathy builds trust.
The power of positive persuasion starts with checking in with our purpose. Your purpose defines everything you do from going to work to achieving your goals. As I get to work with leaders, teams, and individuals I am persuading all the time. I understand why they hire me. They are hiring me to help push them to reach their goals and strategic initiatives. It takes discipline to persuade oneself and be persistent.
You have the power to impact others in a positive way. To impact you will need to rely on others to help you. Your ability to persuade others is a must. It will be the doorway to reaching your individual goals. As you put in place these strategies, others will want to help you. You won’t have to rely on any “tricks” like I had to with Trevor.
Photo: Motherforlife.com
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Linda H. Yates – The Image Energizer is a highly-sought Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach and Corporate Trainer. She has produced over 250 educational seminars on helping individuals and businesses uncover, realize and accomplish their goals. Author of Beyond the Clothes and the audio course and workbook 6 Steps to ENERGIZE Your Personal Brand, Linda Yates believes that NOTHING is Impossible!